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Volume 2, Issue 2. October - December 2011

From the President's Pen

Hello and welcome to ourlast Boyd Park Bulletin of2011.Who would have thought theyear would fly by so fast? Weare almost half way throughanother Toastmaster year, sothis is a good opportunity tolook back on the goals we setfor ourselves in July.

Let's be kind to ourselves inthe process: congratulateyourself on what you havedone, and don't be afraid toadjust your plans goingforward!

How do you feel you are doingin making progress towardsyour personal developmentand educational goals? Howcan we help you maintain yourmomentum and continue togrow and feel supported?Help us to help you!

I look forward to seeing you atour next meeting.

Until then, remember to keepsmiling.

TM Emma BanksClub President

Inside

In public speaking, your body canbe an effective tool for addingemphasis and clarity to yourwords.

It’s also your most powerfulinstrument for convincing anaudience of your sincerity,earnestness and enthusiasm.

Here’s how you can incorporateappropriate body language intoyour speeches:

• Start with eye contact. Don’t

just pass your gaze throughoutthe room; try to focus onindividual listeners and create abond with them by looking themdirectly in the eyes for five to 10seconds.

• Smile!• Express emotion with yourfacial muscles.

• Avoid distractingmannerisms. Have a friendwatch as you practise and look

for nervous expressions such asfidgeting, twitching, lip biting,key jingling, hands in pockets orbehind the back.

• Telling a story? Highlight theaction verbs and look for waysto act out one or more parts. Forexample, if you are speakingabout marathon running, run afew steps.

• Stay true to yourpersonality. Don’t copy gesturesfrom a book or other speaker, but

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Key Dates

President's Pen 1Educational: Gestures 2Club News 2Speech Contests 3Bird's Eye View 3Savvy Speaker's Toolkit 3Educational: Toasts 4Club Executive 4

• 24 October: Meeting• 29 October: Area 19 Conference• 14 November: Meeting• 28 November: Meeting• 12 December: Last meeting of2011• 9 January: Meeting• 17 March: District Conference• 4 - 6 May: Division 69Convention

(cont. page 2)

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Advanced Manual of the Month

respond naturally towhat you feel and say.

• Make gesturesconvincing. Everyhand gesture shouldbe total bodymovement that startsfrom the shoulder –never from the elbow.Half-hearted gestures

look artificial.

• Vary your speakingposition by movingfrom one spot on thestage to another. Forexample, walk to theother side of the stageas you move to a newtopic or move towardthe audience as you

ask a question.

© 2011 ToastmastersInternational. Adaptedfrom Gestures: GetMoving!http://bit.ly/oOj7KNAccessed 10.10.2011.(adapted for length)

Speaking to InformA great manual topractise information-rich presentations,with five projects tohelp you deliverinformative, relevantand interestingspeeches using arange of effectivetechniques. A good oneto tie in with yourwork goals.

Speech summaries:1. Present new anduseful information.2. Develop and adaptmaterial to suit youraudience.3. Clearly demonstratea process, product oractivity.4. Present a fact-finding report andanswer questions.5. Clearly explain an

abstract concept,theory, or historical/social/ political issue.

Order two AdvancedManuals for free whenyou complete yourCompetentCommunicatormanual, or at any timefrom ToastmastersInternationalwww.toastmasters.org.

Area 19 Contests 2011

Speech Contests 2011Speech contests area chance to practisecommunicationand leadershipskills under a strictset of conditions.

Each contest has itsown set of rules,and a pointssystem for variouscategories of skills.Check out therulebook atwww.toastmasters.org/rulebook.

We generally offerfour contests at BoydPark Toastmasters:Table Topics,Evaluation,Humourous andInternational.

This year's winnersat club level were:• Table Topics:Andrew C• Evaluation:Robert G

• Humourous:Geoff D• International:Andrew C

These intrepidspeakers went on torepresent Boyd Parkand compete againstwinners from four tofive other clubs at atarea level onSaturday 29 October.

All four contestantsperformed admirablyon the day, and didthemselves and theclub very proud.

Next up is divisionand district level,and while Boyd Parkwill not berepresented at theselevels this year, weencourage you toconsider attending -particularly if youwould like tocompete in thefuture.

The division contestwill be held on 17March, and thedistrict contest atthe District 69Convention inBrisbane on 4 - 6May 2012. Moredetails will beavailable during clubmeetings.

Finally, none of thiscan happen withoutthe teams ofcontest officialswho organise eachstep of the way.Judges, contestchairs, tallycounters, timers,sergeant at arms...you don't have tocompete to practiseyour skills in a clubcontest.

So pull up a chair -or a lectern - andenjoy the contests asthey unfold over theyear.

Check out these freeonline resources tohelp improve yourspeaking, thinkingand leadershipskills.

1. Building Skillswith Style: articleson choosing a topic,developing apresentation and

overcoming writers'block, byToastmaster andprofessional speakerRobert Green.http://bit.ly/sqWoFY

2. TED Talks: watchjust one of thehundreds of talks onthis site and foreverchange the way you

view publicspeaking - and quitepossibly the world.Science,entertainment,business andtechnology are allcovered in talks of 3- 18 minutes each.http://bit.ly/tJtp2h

DCPProgress

0/1 1 AdvancedCommunicator

0/1 1 AdvancedCommunicator

0/2 2 CompetentCommunicators

1/2 2 CompetentCommunicators

0/1 1 LeadershipAward

0/1 1 LeadershipAward

3/4 4 NewMembers4 New

Members0/4

1/2 TrainingWinter/Summer

Officers/Semis1/2

Right: The Contest Chairpresents certificates tocontestants in the Area 19Humourous Speech Contest onSaturday 29 October 2011. Welldone to the speakers whorepresented our club in all fourcontests, and a big thank you toeveryone who helped out on theday. (See Speech Contests 2011, pg. 3)

(cont. from page 1)

Boyd Park Bulletin. Volume 2, Issue 2. October - December 2011

Page 3

Advanced Manual of the Month

respond naturally towhat you feel and say.

• Make gesturesconvincing. Everyhand gesture shouldbe total bodymovement that startsfrom the shoulder –never from the elbow.Half-hearted gestures

look artificial.

• Vary your speakingposition by movingfrom one spot on thestage to another. Forexample, walk to theother side of the stageas you move to a newtopic or move towardthe audience as you

ask a question.

© 2011 ToastmastersInternational. Adaptedfrom Gestures: GetMoving!http://bit.ly/oOj7KNAccessed 10.10.2011.(adapted for length)

Speaking to InformA great manual topractise information-rich presentations,with five projects tohelp you deliverinformative, relevantand interestingspeeches using arange of effectivetechniques. A good oneto tie in with yourwork goals.

Speech summaries:1. Present new anduseful information.2. Develop and adaptmaterial to suit youraudience.3. Clearly demonstratea process, product oractivity.4. Present a fact-finding report andanswer questions.5. Clearly explain an

abstract concept,theory, or historical/social/ political issue.

Order two AdvancedManuals for free whenyou complete yourCompetentCommunicatormanual, or at any timefrom ToastmastersInternationalwww.toastmasters.org.

Area 19 Contests 2011

Speech Contests 2011Speech contests area chance to practisecommunicationand leadershipskills under a strictset of conditions.

Each contest has itsown set of rules,and a pointssystem for variouscategories of skills.Check out therulebook atwww.toastmasters.org/rulebook.

We generally offerfour contests at BoydPark Toastmasters:Table Topics,Evaluation,Humourous andInternational.

This year's winnersat club level were:• Table Topics:Andrew C• Evaluation:Robert G

• Humourous:Geoff D• International:Andrew C

These intrepidspeakers went on torepresent Boyd Parkand compete againstwinners from four tofive other clubs at atarea level onSaturday 29 October.

All four contestantsperformed admirablyon the day, and didthemselves and theclub very proud.

Next up is divisionand district level,and while Boyd Parkwill not berepresented at theselevels this year, weencourage you toconsider attending -particularly if youwould like tocompete in thefuture.

The division contestwill be held on 17March, and thedistrict contest atthe District 69Convention inBrisbane on 4 - 6May 2012. Moredetails will beavailable during clubmeetings.

Finally, none of thiscan happen withoutthe teams ofcontest officialswho organise eachstep of the way.Judges, contestchairs, tallycounters, timers,sergeant at arms...you don't have tocompete to practiseyour skills in a clubcontest.

So pull up a chair -or a lectern - andenjoy the contests asthey unfold over theyear.

The Savvy Speaker's Toolkit

Check out these freeonline resources tohelp improve yourspeaking, thinkingand leadershipskills.

1. Building Skillswith Style: articleson choosing a topic,developing apresentation and

overcoming writers'block, byToastmaster andprofessional speakerRobert Green.http://bit.ly/sqWoFY

2. TED Talks: watchjust one of thehundreds of talks onthis site and foreverchange the way you

view publicspeaking - and quitepossibly the world.Science,entertainment,business andtechnology are allcovered in talks of 3- 18 minutes each.http://bit.ly/tJtp2h

Bird's EyeView

Members are at the heart ofToastmasters International.Here are the structures thatare in place to serve us, andprovide us with as wide arange of opportunities aspossible.

© 2011 ToastmastersInternational. Extract fromToastmasters International

Service Chart.http://bit.ly/nMQoj. Accessed

15 July 2011.

Boyd Park Bulletin. Volume 2, Issue 2. October - December 2011 Boyd Park Bulletin. Volume 2, Issue 2. October - December 2011

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Ensure Toasts Are Received in the Right SpiritThese days, the tradition oftoasting is as rare as place cards– useful for a few formal events,but rarely executed well.

To make sure you put your bestfoot forward and not in yourmouth, ensure your toast is brief,personal and customised to theoccasion. Most of all it should beheartfelt, so don’t try to copy anexisting toast, but pick a topicthat is personal but appropriate.

• Keep it short – no more than acouple of minutes. Brevity is thesoul of wit.

• Practise. Think about whatyou want to say, and practise inadvance. Use friends as soundingboards beforehand.

• Speak slowly, clearly andloudly (if no microphone isavailable).

• Be positive. This is not thetime to recite the groom’scollege pranks.

• Stay sober. Being coherenthelps.

• Dress your best. If you lookgood, you’ll feel more confident.

• Use humour, but keep itclean. Don’t refer to “insidejokes” only a few people willunderstand.

• End on a bright note. Besincere, be brief, be seated.

• If you are on the receivingend of the toast, stay seated anddon’t drink the toast to yourself.At the end of the toasts, it’s yourturn to make some comments.

• Don’t drink alcohol? Noproblem – you can still offer atoast with sparkling juice or

water.

At a formal event, it isrecommended the personoffering the toast stand, get theguests’ attention, lift glass by thestem and say “I propose a toast.”Allow time for the guests to filland lift their glasses and shifttheir attention toward you. Thenoffer your comments, take a sip,and invite others to do the same.At small dinner parties, however,there is no need to stand. Just liftyour glass by the stem, speakand touch the glass of the personor persons involved.

© 2011 ToastmastersInternational. Adapted fromToasting Tipshttp://bit.ly/oo4EzD. Accessed10.10.2011 (adapted for length).

For more information about Boyd Park Toastmasters Club, check out our website athttp://www.bptmc.org.au

We meet in the upstairs meeting room of the Prince of Wales Hotel, on the corner of Sandgate andBuckland Roads, every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, from 7.15pm. Visitors are always welcome.

If you are interested in Toastmasters, but our meeting location or time does not suit you, call our toll-freenumber on 1300 30 40 69 to find a more convenient club in your area.

Your Club Executive 2011 - 2012President TM Emma Banks

Joe Skilton ACB ALSSarah Dillon CC CL

Andrew Cole ACS ALSRobbie Aquilina CC

VP EducationVP MembershipVP Public RelationsSecretaryTreasurerSergeant at Arms

Geoff Dillon CC

TM Jean Katajamaki

Newsletter Publisher: Emma Banks Newsletter Editor: Sarah Dillon

Boyd Park Bulletin. Volume 2, Issue 2. October - December 2011